Key Bible Verse: Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart (Colossians 4:2). Bonus Reading: Psalm 73:1–28

The New York Yankees prepare for a game much the same as every other team in major league baseball. They stretch, they take batting practice and fielding practice, they have team meetings about the upcoming opponent, they watch video tape, they pray.

Wait. They pray?

From four to ten players meet for prayer before every game. "Rarely does something come up that doesn't allow us to do it," said Chad Curtis, a leader of the pre-game prayer gatherings during the 1999 season.

The purpose of the prayer time isn't to ask for a win, or even for team unity. "Our goal is to pull together as a body of Christ," he said. "Time spent in prayer helps the players keep their perspective. I don't really think the pressure of being an athlete is different from anything else," Curtis [now with the Texas Rangers] says. "We get a full dose of the world thrown at us. You hear baseball players talking about chasing fame, fortune, money, the ring. That's what reporters expect us to focus on. If you keep hearing that enough, you're going to start doing it. We try to keep our focus where it's meant to be."

My Response: Here's how prayer could help me keep a proper focus:

Thought to Apply: You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.
—Ole Hallesby (Norwegian church leader)